Tuesday, December 16, 2014

December 16, 2014 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual and symbolic animal behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.

Sperm whale washes up dead at Kitty foreshore, Guyana

Hundreds
of persons turned out this morning to get a glimpse of a whale that
washed up at the Kitty foreshore opposite Pere Street.

Speaking
to TrakkerNews wildlife conservation specialist Annette Arjune-Martins
said her organization along with members of the Guyana Defense Force
were looking and trying to free the whale since Sunday after they were
notified of the mammal being trapped in fishing net at Mahaicony
Foreshore.

Their efforts proved futile and this morning they got word of the find at Georgetown seawall of the dead whale.

Martins said she will be working along with the Public Works Minister
Robson Benn on the way forward as to what they will do with the remains.

Record number of panther attacks on farm animals in Florida

A
record number of Florida panther attacks on farm animals and pets took
place this year, in what the state wildlife commission says is a
consequence of the endangered cat's increased population.

The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Friday confirmed
32 incidents of fatal panther attacks on animals such as goats, sheep,
calves, dogs and cats, with more than 50 animals killed. This year also saw a record 20 panthers killed by vehicles.

The commission attributed the increase in killings to the success of
state and federal efforts to increase the panther's population. The
number of panthers today is estimated at 100 to 180, with the top figure
representing a recent upward revision from 160. During the 1970s, the
population may have fallen as low as 30.

"Over the past 40
years, Florida panther conservation efforts have resulted in the panther
population growing significantly from the 1970s, when the panther was
first federally listed as endangered," the agency said. "As the
population grows, the chance for interaction between the large cats and
humans also increases - which can be bad for both people and panthers."

Although panthers tend to avoid people, there have been occasional reports of threatening movements by the big cats.The
commission urged anyone who encounters a panther to give it space,
avoid running, maintain eye contact, avoid crouching or bending over -
which would make you prey-sized - and fight back if attacked.

Although it is a crime to deliberately harm an endangered species, the
commission said anyone who hurts or kills a panther in self defense
would not be prosecuted. - PHYS.

Rat infestation worsens at One World Trade Center offices

The rodents have pestered the staffs of Vanity Fair and Vogue. Conde told employees that they cannot eat at their desks and that a complaint will be made with the city's health department.

Conde Nast's rat problem is getting worse rather than better.

While Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter tells Confidenti@l thatrats stubbornly continue to occupy the new Conde Nast offices at One World Trade Center, we're also told that Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour doesn't even want to go in the building anymore.

And while there were multiple previous reports that the pests were terrorizing the glamorous staff at Vogue,we're now told they've "taken over" more of the storied publishing house.

A
bunch ate through the ceiling of a sports editor's office and crawled
all over his desk and left poops on his keyboard," said a different
source. "They ate through his rug to fit under his door."

We're told that Conde has sent a memo to their staff in the building
telling them that "they cannot eat at their desks" and that a complaint
to the city's health department is next on the agenda.

When we
bumped into Carter outside the tower, where the publishing house set up
shop in November, we asked him if the little beasts are disgusting as
we've heard. "They're rats!" laughed the legendary editor, "What do you
think?"

The Durst Organization, which manages One World Trade Center for the Port Authority, declined to comment.

Reps for Conde Nast did not respond to requests for comment. - NY Daily News.

Wild elephant kills yet another person in Sri Lanka

A man died yesterday (11th) attacked by a wild elephant in Mangalagama area.

Remains of the victim lie at Maha Oya Hospital awaiting post-mortem.

Mangalagama Police continue further investigations in to the incident. - Ceylon Today.

Young girl severely mauled by dog in Widgee, Australia

A
five-year-old girl who suffered severe facial injuries in a dog attack
at Widgee is recovering after emergency plastic surgery.

It is
believed the girl was visiting a Widgee home on Sunday when she suffered
several bite marks to her face, leaving injuries to her nose, cheeks
and lip.

Gympie Regional Council officers yesterday began an
investigation into the incident, which occurred about 5pm Sunday on a
private property on Gympie Woolooga Rd.

A worker at Widgee General Store said the girl and her mother were not locals.

The mother turned up at the shop seeking help in an area notorious as a mobile phone black spot.

"She was very upset and so were other kids in the car, so we called an ambulance," the worker said.

"There's not a lot we can say," deputy mayor Tony Perrett said yesterday. "It's being investigated."

Social wellbeing councillor Rae Gate said council officers would
interview all parties involved "and hopefully we'll find out what really
happened".

It is understood the girl's family took her to Lady
Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane where surgery was performed
yesterday. - Sunshine Coast Daily.

Rare Arctic glaucous gull turns up in Turkey

A glaucous gull, which only recently reappeared on the Black Sea coast after more than a century, has drawn prominent birdwatchers to the northern province of Rize.

The glaucous gull is believed to have first appeared in 1874 in the
busy Turkish province of Istanbul. This is actually the sole evidence of
their existence in the Turkish territory, but there has been no
sighting of the bird for 140 years.

The white-headed and-tailed
bird has been described as the glaucous bird, which has first been
recorded in 1874 in Istanbul, according to a discussion among Turkey's
key bird watchers.

Bird enthusiasts are watching history

As many as 20 birdwatchers and photographers across Turkey have flocked
to Rize after a local twitcher, Murat Altuk, had recognized and
photographed the different type of gull on Friday.

Murat Saltuk said that the gull has been first spotted in northern Turkey since 1874. "That's a great experience for Turkey. This bird is generally spotted in the northern parts of the World," he said. "It has managed to travel here from its natural habitat."

The rare gull landed in the customs zone

The bird's appearance on the Black Sea coast has been circulated
through special pages and social media networks of birdwatching.

After the circulation of this report, the watchers from from the
provinces of İstanbul, Antalya, Trabzon, Adana, Samsun and İzmir,
traveled to Rize and entered the customs zone to take images of the gull
through a special permission by Rize governor Ersin Yazıcı.

Many believe the unusual feathered friend should be properly housed and cared for, since it has become such a main attraction.

A prominent photographer pointed out the re-appearance of this rare bird in North Turkey.

"The place it has been spotted must be protected and serve as a bird
watching station," said Emin Kanbur, the chair of Rize Photographic Art
Society. - Reni Safak.

Pneumonia outbreak kills 10 bighorns near Gardiner, Montana

Ten
bighorn sheep have died over the past two weeks following an outbreak
of pneumonia in a herd that lives along the upper Yellowstone River near
Gardiner.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks staff has collected
a mix of dead rams, lambs and one adult ewe and taken them to the state
wildlife lab in Bozeman, where all were determined to have died from
pneumonia.

Historically, pneumonia affects bighorn sheep herds
differently. According to FWP wildlife veterinarian Jennifer Ramsey,
"Sometimes we'll see a large scale, all age die-off in which most of the
population dies, and that population never really rebounds. Yet in
other herds we seem to see a low-level mortality year after year."

In the Gardiner area, bighorn sheep have experienced a small number of pneumonia cases each of the last few years,but not to this extent.

It is not possible to detect the source of the pneumonia outbreak.

Pneumonia outbreaks have occurred in bighorn sheep populations with no known contact with domestic sheep (or goats).
However, research has shown bacteria can be transmitted from healthy
domestic sheep (or goats) to bighorn sheep, causing pneumonia in the
wild sheep. There are currently flocks of domestic sheep in the area.

FWP, within its scope of authority, works to ensure separation of
domestic and wild sheep. This includes the lethal removal of any wild
sheep known to have been in direct contact with a domestic sheep.

In the meantime, FWP encourages the public to keep their distance from
the Gardiner bighorn sheep, especially at this time as they are
stressed. People are asked to report any sick, coughing or dead sheep to
the Region 3 headquarters - or wild sheep in close proximity to
domestic sheep - by calling 406-994-4042. - Billings Gazette.

First dead Irrawaddy dolphin located after Bangladesh oil spill, more deaths expected

The
salvage of the wrecked oil tanker took more than two days, while
authorities in Bangladesh failed to contain or clean up the oil. Now, the first of what is expected to be a myriad of deaths of a rare Irrawaddy dolphin has occurred.
The first dead dolphin surfaced yesterday. The oil spill in the Sela
River has now spread over more than 80 km. The Sela River is a sanctuary
for two different species of dolphins.Dolphins are extremely sensitive creatures, and more than 350,000 liters of oil was spilled into their environment.

According to the Dhaka Tribune,there have been sightings of other dead wild animals in the region.

"I have discussed with the experts and they said that there will be no
major damage," said Shajahan Khan, Bangladesh's Shipping Minister said
shortly after the spill. "It will not affect dolphins and other animals
as the oil has not spread that much."

Khan's predictions have been proven wrong, and there is no way to even estimate what the death toll of wildlife may be.

"Generally, dolphin corpses do not come to the water surface. The fact
that one of them has floated to the surface should mean a number of
dolphins have been directly affected," Monirul H. Khan, professor of
zoology at Jahangirnagar University, told the Dhaka Tribune.

"If
large creatures such as dolphins could not survive, then smaller ones
like otters and fish are in much bigger danger," Monirul Khan added.

Divisional forestry officers claim that they have only discovered the
dead bodies of small fish and crabs that can be directly linked to the
oil spill.

There are three dolphin sanctuaries on the Sela
River in the area where the spill took place: Chandpai, Dhangimari, and
Dudhmukhi sanctuaries.

The Southern Star 7 oil
tanker was carrying 357,664 liters of furnace oil when it was struck by
another vessel. It took two days to salvage, and by then, nearly
two-thirds of the tanker's oil had been spilled into the river. The oil
was pushed along by the forces of high and low tides.

Authorities in the region had no real experience dealing with a spill,
leaving them with two options: using a chemical dispersants, or oil
consuming bacteria. They remained unsure of the environmental impact of the dispersants, and the bacteria had to be imported. As a result, they have taken no
real steps to remove the oil. Concerned local people have suggested that
they manually collect the oil from the water.

"Chemical
dispersants should not be used without consulting international experts
with oil spill experience in mangrove forests. Dispersants are typically
used in oceanic waters to prevent the slick from reaching the shore,"
said Brian Smith of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The toxic effect on wildlife can lead to death or reduced reproductive fitness, reports CBS News.

Experts
predict a die-off of small mangrove trees near the waterline in the
next few months, and the loss of larger trees in the next few years as
they become exposed to the oil as it seeps out of the sediment. "Short-term impacts of the oil spill will be severe as the habitat of
the affected areas will be damaged. Animals and fish species will lose
their breeding grounds," former director of Water Resources Planning Organization Engineer Inamul Haque said. - Inquisitr.

300,000 salmon dead due to invasion of Jellyfish in the Western Isles, Scotland

Mauve stinger: Tiny jellyfish killed 300,000 salmon.

A jellyfish invasion in the Western Isles has wiped out nearly 300,000 young salmon worth around £1m.
Thousands of tiny mauve stinger jellyfish squeezed through protective nets at the Loch Duart fish farm on Loch Maddy.

Some injured salmon survived the attack at the North Uist fish farm on November 19, only to be killed by stormy weather.

Nick Joy, managing director of Loch Duart, said it was a “terrible blow” but added that the company’s future is not in jeopardy.

He said: “We have seen these jellyfish before but not in such large numbers and in each case, though the fish have been disturbed, they have survived the encounter.

“The fish looked very distressed and were shoaling poorly and slowly. It was also clear that some had died though at this stage, not a significant number.

“My immediate view was that though the fish had been sorely tried, the majority of them would have survived as long as the weather gave them some peace to rest.”

Extreme weather which hit the Western Isles in late November caused further damage to Loch Duart’s stocks.

Mr Joy said: “The poor fish unable to swim well were trapped against the net and a very significant number died. We have now removed almost all of the dead fish and only about half remain.

“Salmon farming is a hard, dangerous job and in our company it requires the highest level of empathy with the fish that we grow.”

The same species of jellyfish decimated Northern Ireland's only salmon farm in 2007. More than 100,000 fish worth around £1m were destroyed at the farm near Glenarm Bay.

In October last year, nearly half the salmon at a sea farm in County Mayo in Ireland were wiped out when 20,000 fish were killed in a jellyfish attack.In 2002, thousands of solmaris jellyfish killed one million salmon at fish farms in the Western Isles. Fish valued around £3m were destroyed in sea lochs at Leurbost, Gravir and Loch Erisort off Lewis. - STV News.

Thousands of dead fish found in a river in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

A
technical committee today investigates the strange death of thousands
of fish in a major river in the department of Santa Cruz, in eastern
Bolivia, during the weekend.

According to Eber Menacho,
departmental director of Natural Resources, the team is deployed to the
Rio Grande, and will seek the causes of the incident on suspicion of
water pollution.

However, residents of communities located close
to the river also ensure that the animals possibly suffocated by the
high volume of mud, dragged after torrential rains in recent days.

This is the second case of dead fish reported in Bolivia in less than a week.

Last Tuesday, agricultural authorities of the department of Oruro found
thousands of species dead on the shores of Lake Poopó, considered the
second largest in the country after Titicaca.

That event will
affect more than 780 thousand fishing families with low production in
the coming years, as the fish were on procreation age. - Prensa Latina.